The Preclinical Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging Resource is a new core facility at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) that offers individualized MR protocols designed to answer specific questions related to cancer detection, drug/gene delivery, animal phenotyping and therapeutic efficacy. The goal is to provide readily available access to state-of-the-art noninvasive in vivo imaging technologies yielding high-contrast, serially-acquired images of visceral tumors at an affordable cost. In RPCI's previous Cancer Center Support Grant renewal application, the Resource was included as a developing core facility. It is now fully operational and available 24 hrs/day, 7 days/wk offering services and training to all Program members. Three general types of services are offered: (1) instrumentation and expertise to acquire high resolution (more than 50 mu m[2] in-plane spatial and more than 100 ms temporal) heteronuclear imaging and spectroscopy data sets; (2) instrumentation, expertise and software (commercial and custom designed source code) for analysis/image processing of digitally acquired data sets; and (3) visualization and surface/volume rendering of 2D and 3D data sets for quantitation of morphologic/physiologic relationships. Instrumentation available for use includes a 4.7 T wide bore (33 cm) magnet incorporating Bruker's Avance platform with Paravision (R) 2.1 OS, shielded Accustar gradients and digital system electronics. Several customized heteronuclear RF transceiver coils, removable gradient coils and animal positioning devices are available for use with gas anesthesia equipment, a computer-controlled MR-compatible injector and surgical microscope. Instrumentation is available for physiologic monitoring of animal respiration/cardiac output, tissue temperature, oxygenation, and blood flow using fiberoptic-based laser doppler technology. Ancillary equipment includes image/data processing workstations (PC and Unix based), image analysis/visualization software (AnalyzePC, Version 4.0) and high resolution color printers. The MR system represents the highest magnetic field strength scanner available within 200 miles of RPCI.